Which ones are ridiculous?ridiculous assortment of specialties.
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Which ones are ridiculous?ridiculous assortment of specialties.
Oh, he will give you some names because he obviously did not read the multiple explanations of the fact that specialties exist to allow divers to take specific classes with standard content that has been approved as safe and instructional sound. He evidently also missed the posts explaining that making individual shops and instructors get approval for a specialty assures a certain level of quality and protects the instructor in terms of liability. Finally, he seems to have missed the challenge to name any agencies that do not have a large variety of classes for specific skills.Which ones are ridiculous?
There is something about being attached to a dive shop that puts pressure on doing a good job teaching. Its the do good or find another shop to teach under. If training is considered to be substandard in the view of consumers the shop gives them the boot and gets something better. That is the check and ballance process independant instructors do not have to deal with. There is no consequence for dong a bad job.
Which ones are ridiculous?
I was kind of hoping he would mention Underwater Naturalist, so I could point out that some people want to learn more about the environment in which they dive.Oh, he will give you some names because he obviously did not read the multiple explanations of the fact that specialties exist to allow divers to take specific classes with standard content that has been approved as safe and instructional sound. He evidently also missed the posts explaining that making individual shops and instructors get approval for a specialty assures a certain level of quality and protects the instructor in terms of liability. Finally, he seems to have missed the challenge to name any agencies that do not have a large variety of classes for specific skills.
The one which immediately springs to mind, is PADI's Dive Against Debris®, aka "garbage collection." A friend, who runs a PADI-affiliated shop, refuses even to discuss the subject, with what I imagine, is that same embarrassed manner that the Catholic Church affords, say, the Ritus Romanus.
I don't know anyone, worth his or her salt, who doesn't already retrieve all manner of crap, while diving, on their own, without having to take a specialty course for some virtue signaling patch; who don't require any mawkish recognition; and I typically see those same faces during annual clean-up dives. It's was already called common courtesy and good stewardship, before it was preocessed through the PADI cloaca.
Invasive Lionfish Tracker, is also a contender.
"Learn what action is needed to control the lionfish population and, during two scuba dives, learn practical ways to safely and humanely capture and euthanize these fish."
Really? I have been pronging and cooking them for decades, as a PADI outlaw? I have a couple of cookbooks dedicated to them. Don't have a patch.
Whale Shark Awareness
Learn about whale shark biology, behavior and distribution. During two scuba dives or snorkeling excursions, practice passively observing these large creatures.
Couldn't crack a f**king book for that one -- catch a David Attenborough documentary?
I was kind of hoping he would mention Underwater Naturist, so I could point out that some people want to learn more about the environment in which they dive.
Hmm, maybe I should teach Fish Id, so that divers a naturale' avoid the "fish with sharp teeth"A "naturist -- as in nudist?
Thanks for catching my typo.A "naturist -- as in nudist?